Vanderbilt routs Ole Miss in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Vanderbilt scored 21 points in a five-and-a-half minute span of the second quarter, breaking open a tie game late in the first half en route to a 30-7 rout of Ole Miss.
The Commodores dominated every facet of the game, out-gaining Ole Miss 387 yards to 234 and picking off the Rebels five times. Mississippi gained 120 of those yards in the fourth quarter against a defense comprised mostly of reserves.
Advertisement
VU running back Zac Stacy rushed for a career-high 169 yards on just 11 carries, helping keep Commodore coach James Franklin undefeated after three games.
The "Dores had the game's first score with 5:40 left before halftime, when quarterback Larry Smith ran the option to the right side and the Rebels failed to pick him up. He dashed 19 yards untouched to the end zone, giving VU a 7-0 lead after the point-after by Carey Spear.
On the next drive, VU's Walker May hit Ole Miss quarterback Zack Stoudt as he was throwing, and VU's Trey Wilson made an easy play on the ball with no Rebels around him.
With a convoy of blockers, Wilson raced down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown.
After an Ole Miss punt, the Commodores (3-0) put up another score when Jerron Seymour weaved his way into the end zone from eight yards out, and Vandy led 21-0 at the break.
It didn't get any better for the Rebels to start the half. Just 1:01 in, the Commodores showed blitz on a third-down play, and a shotgun snap got by Stoudt with VU defenders in pursuit.
A Rebel caught up to the ball at the 1-yard line and kicked it out of the end zone, and officials awarded Vandy a safety.
Vandy kept is foot on the gas. On a 2nd-and-7 play from its 23, VU exploited Ole Miss's run blitz and Stacy ran off right tackle untouched for a 77-yard score.
Ole Miss's lone score came on a Stoudt-to-Donte Moncrief 47-yard touchdown with 2:15 left against VU's defensive reserves, long after much of the crowd of 34,579 was gone. It cost VU its first Southeastern Conference shutout since 1968.